Journey with two souls- Review of ‘Second Spring’

Just finished reading the last page of the book ‘Second Spring’ by Sandhya Jane a while ago. Before I share my take on the book, let us know something about the author.

About the Author:

With a Master’s degree in Information Technologies from the University of Central Missouri, Sandhya Jane has been over two decades in the global corporate environment, including for some of the some of the leading investment banks in Manhattan, India, and Hong Kong. She lives in Hong Kong with her husband and son.

In addition to writing fiction, Sandhya also regularly writes on the subjects of technology, management, Vedic science & technology, and other motivational topics for leading websites and an Indian newspaper.

You may visit her Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/SandhyaJane or send her an e-mail at sandhya@sandhyajane.com.

The title:

The first thing we come to know about a book is its title. The title of the book is ‘Second Spring’. The title reminds me of a quote by P B Shelley- ‘If winter comes, can spring be far behind?’ Spring, the queen of seasons, brings hope, inspiration, auspiciousness and all other good things. It also gives a message that whatever you have lost, is destined to return if you love it whole-heartedly- as the second spring. Going by the content of the book, I feel this title a great choice for the book.

The cover:

Though it is a popular saying that one must not judge a book by its cover, yet the truth is that cover does play an important part in the book. The cover page of this book is simple, yet good. The front cover has the author’s name on the top, below which, is the title of the book in a bigger font. Below the title is a silhouette of Bombay skyline- the place from where the tale begins, with the morning star that symbolizes the beginning of a destined journey. Apart from this, we can see leaves of different colors- from green to yellow to brown- the colors every single leaf has to get through. The back cover has nothing much to show. The choice of colors and fonts are awesome and I really loved them. According to me, the cover page goes very much with the tale.

The story:

This story mainly is of a woman named Avantika (Avi), a single parent to a little boy and the MD of a popular bank. As I began reading, I saw in the woman a strict soul full of self-respect. But as I went on, I gradually discovered her soft side. Rohan, the male protagonist, is shown as a guy who hails from a middle class family that follows the old rules and traditions. The story has two parts. The first part shows Avi and Rohan as boss and junior respectively, who, in due course of their staying together, discover the love for each other. In the beginning, Avi is reluctant with her feelings and believes things are not going the proper way, but ultimately gives in. Rohan and Avi surrender themselves to each other, not knowing what is kept for them. It is then that their lives change. Rohan gets a message from his sister that his engagement is fixed with a girl named Shreya. Rohan knows he won’t be able to convince his parents about his feelings for Avi. As a result, he secretly leaves Avi keeping behind a note for her. In this part, I find bit of a villain in Rohan and dislike his act. I also feel he is a pure ‘mumma’s boy’ and cannot go against his parents’ wishes even if he feels it is wrong. But to be honest, very few people are able to fight against such problems in reality. Going by Rohan’s nature, what he did was obvious for him.

With this, begins the next part. The lives of Avi and Rohan change. Avi moves to the west with her son and settles there. She is quite happy into her new world. But in some corner of her within, Rohan remains. Rohan, who by now, has married Shreya and has also become a father.

Well, I won't reveal what happens after that as I want the readers to explore the same. I'd just say that you would enjoy the story throughout just like I did. The last few chapters literally won my heart!

The language used by the author is simple and lucid throughout the book. The choice of words and the way of narration are superb. I, however, felt that some portion in the beginning- where the author describes the professional lives of the two, is over-exaggerated, making the read boring especially for readers like us, who have never been into that world. Otherwise, everything is fine.

I would rate the book 4 on 5.

Lastly, I would like to give my best wishes to the author for her future works. Ma’m, your debut book was awesome. I am waiting to read your next book.